Zeta (Duklja) under the second Montenegrin dynasty, the Balsic
(1356-1427)

After the death of the Serbian tzar Dusan Nemanjic in 1355, his
kingdom started to crumble. In Zeta, the new Balsic dynasty ---
named after its founder Balsa I --- reasserted Zeta's independence
around 1360. The Balsics are mentioned as rulers of Zeta in a
letter from the Serbian tzar Uros to Dubrovnik in 1360, and in
1368 documents in Venice refer to the Balsics as "those who
became independent from the Serbian ruler." The Balsic dynasty
first ruled Lower (southern) Zeta from its seat in Skodra, but
later extended its rule to Higher (northern) Zeta. The Balsics
were Catholics, which suggests that the strong, even dominant,
influence of the Roman Catholic Church in Montenegro continued
through the early 15th century.

Balsa had three sons: Stracimir, Djuradj and Balsa II. Djuradj
I, considered the most influential Balsic, enlarged and consolidated
Zeta's renewed power and took Prizren (a town in present-day Kosovo).
Djuradj I and neighboring rulers were in constant conflict with
the Herzegovinian ruler Nikola Altomanovic, who took or laid claims
to the territory of their countries. A powerful coalition ---
Prince Lazar Hrebeljanovic of Serbia, Ban Tvrtko I of Bosnia,
King Djuradj I Balsic of Zeta, Prince Nikola Gorjanski and King
Ludovik I of Hungary (with non-military support from Dubrovnik)
--- defeated Nikola Altomanovic and his army in 1373. Ban Tvrtko
and Prince Lazar took most of Altomanovic's land, and the Balsics
took the towns of Trebinje, Konavle and Dracevica. Later dispute
over these towns led to a war between Djuradj I Balsic and Ban
Tvrtko.

Zeta's consolidated territory included much of the land of the
former Duklja and some of southern Raska, but Herzegovina was
largely under the control of Altomanovic and then of the Bosnian
Ban Tvrtko. So Zeta occupied roughly the southern half of the
former state of Duklja. Under the rule of Djuradj I, Zeta was
a well-organized state. It had a two-tier court system, a treasury
managed by an official well-versed in commerce, and regional officials
appointed by the king. The coastal towns, ruled by princes appointed
by the king, continued to enjoy their traditional autonomy. Under
Djuradj I, Balsic Zeta also had its own currency -- the dinar.

Following Djuradj's death in 1378, Balsa II, the third son of
Balsa I, rose to power. He made an unsuccessful attempt to conquer
the town of Kotor. He died in a battle against the Turks in 1385.

The successor of Balsa II, Djuradj II Balsic (1385-1403), ruled
Zeta and northern Albania from his seat in the coastal town of
Ulcinium. His mother was Milica Mrnjavcevic, a sister of Prince
Vukasin of Serbia. He married Jelena, daughter of Prince Lazar
of Serbia. Djuradj II saw parts of his kingdom eroded by local
feudal rulers asserting sovereignty over their fiefs, leaving
him only a narrow territory around Lake Skadar and his seat in
Ulcinium. He was involved in conflict with Ban Tvrtko of Bosnia
over Kotor. But in 1389, he set his conflict with Tvrtko aside
and sent his troops with Tvrtko's to help Prince Lazar of Serbia
meet the Turkish army at the battle of Kosovo.

In 1403, Djuradj II's 17-year old son, Balsa III, inherited the
rule of Zeta. During the early years of his rule, his main advisor
was his mother, Jelena, a sister of the then ruler of Serbia,
Stefan Lazarevic. Jelena worked hard to strengthen the family
bond between Balsa III and his uncle Stefan Lazarevic. During
his rule, Balsa III worked to maintain a delicate balance of power
in Zeta, which had become a focal point in the struggle for supremacy
between the great powers of that time, Turkey and Venice. But
over time he strengthened his ties to Raska and his uncle Stefan
Lazarevic.

In 1419, Balsa III launched an unsuccessful war against Venice
in an attempt to recapture the coast. In 1421, before his death
and under the influence of his mother, Jelena, he passed the rule
of Zeta to Stefan Lazarevic, who then passed it to his son, Djuradj
Brankovic. This year (1421) marked the end of the Balsic dynasty.
The next thirty years were a period of turmoil and rivalry for
power in Zeta. From this period emerged the third Montenegrin
dynasty, the Djurasevic family of the Crnojevic clan.